Despite increase usage of co-op databases and less use of outside lists, many opportunities still exist to generate incremental list revenue: You just have to be a little more creative. Here are two suggestions:
Cold-calling. By no means a new method for generating list sales, cold-calling often falls by the wayside due to the vast amounts of time and energy it demands. If approached correctly, however, cold-calling can be quite lucrative. Generating a hit list of midsize companies instead of large conglomerates tends to be more productive and less daunting.
Also, start with companies in your area; often having the home-field advantage will make you more attractive to a prospect company. Do your homework prior to calling: Obtain the name and title of the person in charge of direct marketing efforts. The Internet makes this task fairly easy.
New horizons. A natural tendency is to spend the most time selling to the established brokerage firms in the industry. While this is perfectly logical, it is important not to forget about the nontraditional, peripheral firms such as advertising agencies and consultants. Many times these smaller firms are very aggressive and eager to compete. Also, small firms are sometimes more open to list recommendations, making them a valuable target market for creative list ideas. Their potential for striking up significant business, when the right connection is made, makes this extra effort worthwhile.
Allison Fais is a sales executive with Hackensack, NJ-based list and marketing services firm Mokrynskidirect.